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Make me a Servant!

I got my first shot of CCCA sectionals this week. My wife and I were weary from Iowa cold and snow so we travelled south to participate in the Deep South Sectional. It was worth the 14 hour trip.

One of the reasons we went was to present a seminar on Service and Hospitality; I felt like a man trying to tell his wife how to put on her makeup; these folks knew more than I did. Our conference was at Camp Bethany in Bethany Louisiana; a camp with 400+ beds and a staff of 4 full timers. Robert and Joan Cole along with Renita and Trey. Without them actually knowing it, they led their own seminar; they each lived a life of a committed camp worker.

They gave tours, checked people in, prepared meals, did dishes, gave directions, cleaned floors and bathrooms, they smiled and loved on people; they were the complete package. The entire camp was ready for us to use and enjoy; they exuded with hospitality- they were masters of the love and care department.

Much of what we do at camp is pure grunt work: cleaning, cooking, mowing, laundry, wood chopping, fire building, side-walk sweeping, and doing dishes. Sometimes the days can be long and we collapse into our bed knowing that the routine will start all over again the next morning. Some days we wonder if our service was even appreciated; some days we wonder if it is even Kingdom work.

Let me tell you Robert and Joan and Renita, and Trey… it is; it was; and it will be. You make Camp Bethany a place for the weary to rest, the needy to recharge, and the lonely to re-connect with brothers and sisters, but also a place for each of us to have and “encounter with Almighty.”

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About the Author

Earl Taylor is the Director of Design and Vision at Hidden Acres Christian Center in Dayton Iowa, and has worked there alongside his wife, DeDe since 1985 where they raised their 4 kids. 12 grandchildren later, they are still going strong and growing the camp together!